


The Dragon's Knight

by Datawolf39



Series: DiP AUs [3]
Category: Death in Paradise
Genre: AU, Camille is a Knight, F/M, Richard is a dragon, based on a prompt, crackish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-20 13:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22018438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Datawolf39/pseuds/Datawolf39
Summary: Richard is a dragon, Camille, a knight, is sent to slay him.
Relationships: Camille Bordey/Richard Poole
Series: DiP AUs [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529492
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	The Dragon's Knight

**Author's Note:**

> This is silly, and way longer than it should be.

“What has caught your interest today, my little one?” Catherine asked her daughter.

“Nothing, Maman,” Camille answered far too quickly.

“Is this nothing dangerous?”

“No?” Camille answered.

She was saved from further questioning by the arrival of Dwayne and Fidel. Fidel was a young knight that was several years her junior. He had always been like a brother to her despite their age difference. Dwayne, was an older knight, many years her senior, he seemed to have no aspirations of advancement, but he was very well informed about everything from town gossip to military tactics, and thus a very useful knight.

“The Commander wishes to speak with you,” Fidel said.

Camille nodded, wasting no time in gathering her armor. Commander Patterson was not a man to be kept waiting.

~

“A dragon,” Camille repeated.

“Yes Madam Knight, you heard me correctly. Several villagers to the north sighted the beast, and brought the news to Honoré.” "A dragon," she repeated again because, it was a joke, wasn't it?

“You have your orders.”

~

“He want us to fight a dragon,” Fidel said, his words drenched in disbelief.

“Well that and kill it.”

“It’s going to kill us,” Fidel mumbled.

“Probably,” Camille agreed.

“Why do we always have to go out on the deadly missions?” Fidel complained as he mounted his horse.

“Because we always come back,” she answered, with a flick of her reins to propel her own horse forward.

Dwayne just followed the two of them wondering which would be more dangerous, deserting the mission, facing the dragon or returning to Honoré without Camille. He had too much honor for the first, and the last was guaranteed death, so facing the dragon it was.

~

Eight days later, they stood at the entrance of the cave. They proceeded into it carefully, not wanting to alert the dragon to their presence. What they found made them pause, this was the ferocious creature they were meant to slay?

The dragon had a large torch lit in the inner cavern, allowing them to see that books filled the floor of the cave, and the dragon lay on the ground reading a book that had been set upon a large stand. It was almost comical watching the large beast gently turn the page of the text.

“You can put your swords down,” he rumbled.

“You can speak?” Fidel said astonished.

“Obviously. I am speaking right now, I’m a dragon, not an ignoramus.”

“Did you attack the village to the south of here?” Camille asked lowering her blade.

“Of course not. I just picked up my books that they had gathered for me,” the dragon said. 

“Why do they gather books for you?” Fidel asked.

“So that I may read them.” The dragon answered with exasperation, “I protect them from things that would harm their town, and they get me books to read.”He slowly rose to his feet, and turned to face them. With a huff and a flick of his claws, the room was filled with light.

The dragon was a sight to behold. His scales were a deep red, and his body rather slender. His wings were tucked against his sides, and his eyes looked at them with a mixture of anger and annoyance.

“Well this is awkward,” Dwayne said. “We were sent to slay you.”

The dragon groans, and puts a scaly - hand? paw?- appendage over his eyes. “Had to be born a dragon,” he grumbles.

This is all it takes for Camille to burst out laughing. 

The dragon looks at her curiously. He was used to a great many things when people saw him. Fear was a given, screaming was nearly constant, and nods of thanks in his little town was commonplace. Laughter, however, was something almost unique, especially given the situation, and he couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his own features.

“What is it you find so humorous lady knight?”

“My name is Camille,” she said, “and this whole situation is hilarious.”

“Camille,” the dragon said as though testing the name. “Richard,” the dragon said offering a claw to her.

Camille laughed again, and shook the offered claw, without hesitation or fear.

“I’m Dwayne, he’s Fidel, and now that we are all introduced, what are we going to tell the Commander?”

Camille found that she didn’t want to hurt the dragon, Richard, as he had called himself. He wasn’t exactly what she had pictured when told that she had to slay a dragon. “We tell him that we couldn’t find the mindless beast he spoke of,” she decided, and her comrades smiled, neither of them wanted to hurt Richard either.

Richard frowned for a moment, not understanding. Had the human, Camille, just insulted him.

Camille, seeing the flash of hurt come over the dragon hurried to explain. “The Commander believes that you are a beast that would destroy everything until you yourself were destroyed. You are not the mindless beast he thought you to be.”

Richard seemed puzzled, as he worked through the words, it was as though he had never had a joke shared with him. Then he roared.

The knights drew back until they realized that it was not a roar, but rather a laugh. Richard covered his face again, this time in embarrassment.

“Farewell Richard,” Camille said once the dragon had regained his composure.

“So long, Camille,” Richard said.  
~

She missed him. One meeting with the dragon, and he was all that she could think about in her free moments. Oh she had relationships before, but they had never dominated her thoughts like Richard.

“Little one,” her mother said gently, “who is it that has captured your heart?”

“What- why do you think…”

“You can’t hide it from me my daughter. You are in love, it is plain as dirt on the ground and the sun in the sky.

“He cannot return my affections,” Camille said sadly, it was stupid to be in love after one meeting, and even moreso with one outside of her own species. Richard probably didn’t remember her. “It’s impossible for him.”

~

Life and literature had been dulled. Before he had been content to remain outcasted by all. He was not like others no matter their species. Camille probably had forgotten him, and simply gone about her knightly duties.

“Hello Dick,” said a voice. 

Richard didn’t respond. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, Doug would go away.

“Still alone after all this time,” the other dragon teased. “Understandable really, given the way you chose to live.”

Richard didn’t respond.

“Heard some knights came to see you, I just wanted to make sure you were okay friendo.”

Richard twiched despite his best efforts. Doug didn’t care about him, he had really come to laugh at any injuries Richard might have incurred.

“Ah so you are awake. Shall I avenge you?”

“Don’t you dare!” Richard snapped.

Doug laughed. “Showing your hand there Dicky. You care about the little humans.”

Richard growled.

Doug laughed again, before leaving the cave and taking off into the sky. 

~

Doug was fast, but he was a horrible tracker, given some time though, he would scent Camille, Dwayne, and Fidel.

Richard was far better at it. Making sure he was not followed, he flew. He could feel Camille like he could feel the thumping of his own heart, and even were he not as good as he was at tracking, he would have easily found her. He landed in Honoré. There was no time for stealth, Doug could arrive at any moment, naturally screams filled the air at the sight of a dragon. Knights surrounded him, and he waited, waited to see her. She was more beautiful than before.

“Camille,” he said so softly that it was missed by everyone but her. 

“Don’t attack!” Camille said, coming closer.

Once the knights had backed away a few steps, some more reluctantly than others, Richard leaned down his head.

“Why have you come here?” Camille scolded.

She didn’t sound mad, she sounded scared. Scared for him?

A roar lit the sky, Doug had found them. Richard tucked Camille behind him as the other dragon descended. “You defend a human!?” Doug spat.

The knights backed away far to readily this time. 

Richard stayed silent. Doug was bigger, and stronger than he was, but he had to protect Camille, she was in danger because of him, and he would protect her.

Richard bit, and clawed at his foe.His roars echoing when hard claws ripped scale and flesh. He was soon pinned, and closed his eyes in surrender, he had lost.

Doug roared, and Richard saw Camille had driven a sword into Doug’s hind leg. Doug turned ready to snap Camille’s body into pieces. Her gaze was not on the dragon seeking to end her life, but on Richard.

Suddenly Richard found himself filled with power, and then Doug was the one on the ground. “My Mate!” Richard roared. Primal anger filled his body, and mind, screaming at him to kill those who threatened his Mate.

~

Camille watched helplessly as Richard was pinned under the bigger dragon. Knowing that what she was about to do would likely be her last action, she drove the sword into the dragon’s leg, with any luck the distraction would let Richard escape.

She saw the dragon turn, ready to end her life, and her eyes sought Richard’s, suddenly, the threat was gone. Richard had found some reserve of power, and had pinned the larger dragon. “My Mate!” Richard growled seeming more like the beast she would have once thought him to be.

More dragons landed. One was a pale bluish silver beauty, with thick armor like scales, and blue eyes, the other was a black dragon with a slimmer build than its companion, with red eyes.

The black dragon walked over to Camille. “You must call him halt his actions, he will be regretful should he take even an enemy’s life.”

“Not like he doesn’t deserve death for going after another dragon’s Mate.”

“Bastard, you know Richard, he hates fighting, its why he left in the first place.”

“I know Puppy,” the blueish dragon said. 

Camille shook off the absurdity, and asked, “how can I stop him?”

“You are his, and he is yours. Call his name, and help him to his senses.”

Camille nodded at the black dragon, and took a breath. “Richard, it’s over now.”

Richard looked at her, gaze still feral. “He tried to take you from me," Richard growled.

“I’m right here. Yours if you want me.”

Richard gazed back down at the dragon that had hurt him for more years than he cared to remember, the dragon that had nearly stolen the life of she who was Mate to Richard, and roared. He stepped back, and the other dragons went to Doug.

Camille was aware that they were saying how Doug would be punished, but her attention was on Richard. The moment that he had pulled away, all strength left him, and he fell to the ground, his wounds bleeding profusely. His eyes met Camille’s, and he offered her a smile, before his eyes fell shut.

~

Richard woke in a half constructed dwelling. The damage from the battle was nearly repaired, and Camille was asleep in front of him. Pain shot through him, and he tried not to whimper.

“Richard,” Camille said softly.

He laid his head in her lap. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“For what?”

“Putting you in danger. Had we never met-”

“I wouldn’t be with the one I love. I was miserable without you, I couldn’t believe how much I missed a being that I had only met once.”

“I was very much the same,” Richard sighed. “Dragons know when they have met their Mate, there is a bond that forms.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“ At first I didn’t realize the feeling for what it was. The bond was different because you and I are different. I felt it later, and thought maybe you would remain unaware, and that you would not want to be chained to me.”

“And what do you think now?”

“That I have never been so happy to have had knights sent to slay me.”

Camille smiled. “We will see if you still feel that way once you meet my mother.”


End file.
